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tautline hitch is an old favorite of mine. I think I first learned to tie about 50 years ago when I was tying guyout lines for the canopy of our old canvas umbrella tents. It is a wonderful line for tarps and such. Easy to tie, easy to untie and holds really well even in shock cord.

The figure 8 knot is fairly easy to untie dependoing on the line. The trick is to bend it back and forth to loosen the loops. Start in a similar way to untying a bowline, where you flex a loop to loosen it up. Sometimes it helps to have a small marlin spike to work into the knot to loosen it up.

I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

Last night I found out how to tie the taut line hitch. I read it is a friction knot and tried pulling on it to get it to slip, but it seemed to hold tight. I have yet to try it out on my tarp but I would think it would be easier and lighter to use than the line locs. Anyone have experience with this knot? I've also wondered how easy it is to undo the figure 8 stopper knot on the line loc to wrap it around trees and such or if there is a slot to slip it into and out of.

Once you get proficient at this knot, it is all you need. It is all we used on the tarps on a 30 day trip once, and it was easy to tie and never failed. Also, a "slippery" truckers hitch works great, just be careful not to pull too tight too fast, it might friction burn through the cord. But, easy to avoid with common sense. I don't bother with fig 9s anymore since I got so quick at that knot. I think I actually take more time getting the fig 9s positioned and tied. And it is just one more thing to carry and keep up with, so I just do the knots. But, a lot of folks love the fig 9s. Whatever works, and any of these do.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us....that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
Romans 8:18,21-22

i ordered some of the nextec line locks from quest. i think it said they were designed for 2-3mm line. i found them to slip using the 1.75mm zing it (single braid dyneema)

i've always had great success using the msr groundhog stake. if you position the stake facing the right way, you just wrap one and a half turns and flip the tensioned part on top, it holds. line can tighten one way just by pulling, but holds tight, nothing to tie at all, it's built into the stake.